Helen Fletcher discovers why newcomer Primary Leisure is raising the standards in children\'s entertainment
As the focus of the coin-op amusement industry continues to move more toward family entertainment and more specifically children\‘s entertainment, industry newcomer Primary Leisure has spotted a gap in the market for a sophisticated product for children, while keeping up with technology.
Launched in December last year and on show at London’s EAG Expo and Dublin\‘s AmEx show, Kids TV is a coin-operated entertainment pod that shows popular cartoons to children. Using the latest technology, it enables children to select from a choice of four popular cartoons, each with a number of episodes, and according to managing director Jonathan Smith, it occupies a niche market within the entertainment and amusement industry.
Smith and his team have noticed that conventional children\‘s rides rely solely on their coinbox takings and feels this is completely one-dimensional and, in a shrinking market, very dangerous to do so.
"The children\‘s ride market is obviously well established and we have identified an opportunity to add significant revenue streams outside of the cashbox collections, through the addition of complementary technologies and marketing vehicles," said Smith.
"This includes the sale of advertising and promotional space on an external television screen and a bespoke voucher delivery system. There are unique benefits of \‘real time\’ vouchering and other general point of sale marketing initiatives working in close proximity to retailers and in an environment where parents are both attentive and receptive to communications."
Based in the UK, Primary Leisure is currently supplying the product to the UK and Ireland and Italy but has its sights firmly set on the US and the Middle East where it has had significant enquiries. Currently looking for distributors, the manufacturer plans to expand its business through distribution channels while also growing its own operational base and has recently taken on Gary Newman, previously of Harry Levy Amusements, to help with the sales and distribution channels.
"We intend to grow our sales turnover, our operational base and realise the additional revenue streams available in the pod and to help our dealers and operators benefit from this also," said Smith.
"The product will be developed over the next 12 months by adding new characters, including some to appeal to an older age group than the traditional, therefore expanding the opportunities greatly. We are also developing the pod to be educational while fun and we are looking at interactive children\‘s games inside the pods."
In short, Kids TV is aiming to take the traditional coin-operated children\‘s ride market to a higher and unique level by adding re-occurring additional revenue streams - these being advertising to a captive market, direct marketing and point of sale. It is suited to locations that attract families with young children and areas that have natural dwell time.
"The future of the amusement industry will be affected by many factors," said Smith. "At Primary Leisure we hope to dictate the future of our company by the nature of its unique product. We intend to make entertainment more profitable by all revenue streams and by future innovations."
First published April 2010
